Tag: Premier League

Arsenal currently sit seventh in the Premier League table after a turbulent start to this season’s campaign. Despite the Gunners only being three points behind Watford in fourth place and having three straight wins, the bookies are already ruling out a top 4 finish. Sure, it kicked off quite badly, with losses to Man City and Chelsea in the two first games. But since then, Arsenal have beaten West Ham at home and claimed two strong away wins against the likes of Cardiff and Newcastle. Yet, the odds for Arsenal,…

Technology is a great thing when it works. The advent of smartphones and, of course, the emergence of the internet have allowed us to surround ourselves with football in every nook and cranny of our lives. We can find out exactly what has gone on within the corridors at our club with just a few taps of the thumb, or a few clicks of a mouse. Football and technology seem made to go hand-in-hand as both evolve and develop over the course of months and years. One of the most…

With the 2018-19 Premier League campaign underway, sooner or later there’ll be a managerial casualty. It’s become one of those certainties like death and taxes. The transient life of a football manager or head coach means departures from top-flight clubs are inevitable, but who is looking prominent in the so-called sack race? If you thinking of having a bet on this market with bookmakers, remember the boss doesn’t have to be sacked to count. They can resign or leave by mutual consent – what some might say is just a…

Manchester United underwhelmed under Jose Mourinho last season, despite enjoying the club’s best domestic season since the Alex Ferguson era. Finishing second behind bitter cross-town rivals – and runaway winners Manchester City – there was disappointment from the Old Trafford fans with the way the manager set up the team and the manner of their play. This was compounded by the club going trophy-less in 2018. This year could be a defining one for Mourinho. He has led United to Europa League and League Cup wins and oversaw the team’s…

Antonio Conte has been in this position before. He was part of the Juventus team back in 2000 that were nine points ahead of Lazio, who were then managed by Sven-Goran Eriksson, with just eight games to go, before a dramatic collapse in the final weeks saw the Biancocelesti pip them to the Scudetto by a single point. Fast forward to the present day, and the same man finds himself in an almost identical position in charge of Chelsea, with the only difference being that they only hold a seven-point…

Former West Ham, Chelsea, Manchester City midfielder Frank Lampard has announced his retirement from professional football. The former England international, who is best known for his time with Chelsea, left MLS side New York City FC in August following the expiration of his contract. The 38-year-old recently revealed that he had received multiple offers to play in England and abroad. However, he announced his retirement on his Facebook page today: “After 21 incredible years, I have decided that now is the right time to finish my career as a professional…

The January transfer window doesn’t get the credit it deserves. Yes, very rarely are the truly incredible players willing to transfer during the window. Yes, big clubs mostly opt for keeping their squads stable in anticipation for the summer transfer window, and yet over the years, we’ve been witness to a number of transfers during this much-ignored window, some of which went on to be stunning pieces of business for the buying clubs. After the window came to a close on Tuesday, we take a quick look at five of…

It’s January again. Being the first month of the year makes it auspicious enough, but this month has a special meaning for fans of football around the world. It stands for the time of the year when the Premier League begins the second half of its season. August to December serve to pick out the metaphorical sheep from amongst the wolves. By January, the true title contenders have been recognised. Amidst the cacophony of noises created by the big teams vying for the title, a subdued game of attrition goes…

Manchester United faced Liverpool yesterday in a thrilling game that had a massive impact on the Premier League title race. A Liverpool win would have seen Jurgen Klopp’s men keep up the pressure on leaders Chelsea with only five points between them. A Manchester United win would have them move level on points with rivals City earlier dropping points following a 4-nil thrashing at Everton. Both teams lined up in the normal fashion, with Liverpool missing a number of key players — with the likes of Mane, Clyne, Coutinho, Matip,…

Following West Ham manager Slaven Bilic’s revelation that Dimitri Payet wants to leave the club, French publication L’Equipe, this morning, have reported that Marseille have reached an agreement with the Frenchman. Payet has reached an agreement with Marseille pic.twitter.com/hzJz353yiY — Matt Spiro (@mattspiro) January 13, 2017 The 29-year-old attacking midfielder had a blistering start to his career in England, capped off by an international call-up to the Euros. He, however, has found life harder this season, caused, in part by West Ham’s struggles to maintain their great form from last…

Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp has revealed that Philippe Coutinho will travel with the team to the South Coast, and might be involved in the EFL semi-final clash against the Saints and the Sunday night encounter against Jose Mourinho’s men at Old Trafford. The Brazilian maestro succumbed to an ankle injury back in November 2016, following a horrendous challenge by Black Cats midfielder Didier N’Dong. The uneventful injury resulted in the Liverpool number 10 missing out on ten games as the Reds suffered unfavourable results against Bournemouth, West Ham, Sunderland and…

As the halfway point of the season approaches, with the traditionally bumper packed festive period sure to throw up a few surprises, what can fans expect to see in the second half of what’s already looking to be a real thriller of a season? How Long can Chelsea’s Unbeaten Run Continue? Chelsea are now looking very much like the out and out favourites after a phenomenal 11 game unbeaten streak – Sun Bets have them to take the title at 4/6, and if their run continues, those odds will shrink very quickly. Currently 6 points ahead of nearest rival…

As the Premier League fast approaches the halfway stage of the season, ambitions will soon be fine-tuned and attentions turned towards getting the results needed to achieve specific goals. For the likes of Chelsea, Man City and Liverpool, focus will be on winning as much as possible to try and mount a serious title challenge. For other clubs – Hull, Sunderland, Swansea, Middlesbrough and so on, the focus will quickly change to specifically trying to garner as many points as they can to try and lift themselves away from the…

Was Leicester City’s Premier League win all a dream? That’s the question that was being asked on social media during the Foxes recent 3-0 defeat to Chelsea at Stamford Bridge and it seemed a legitimate one, such was the ease with which the Blues beat the 2016/17 Premier League champions. The defeat felt like more than just a lost three points for the Foxes. It was a power shift. Chelsea, the 2015-16 champions, were re-establishing themselves as a force in English football and Leicester City were being put in their…

There is a phrase that says it is tough at the top, but when it comes to football it can be even tougher at the bottom. While fans of high-flying Premier League teams such as Manchester City, Arsenal, and Chelsea are looking forward to watching their team challenge for the title, several sides will languish towards the bottom of the league table for the majority of the season, fighting against the dreaded “drop.” Three teams will see their Premier League status stripped from them by the time the 2016-17 campaign…

This Premier League season was hotly anticipated after the managerial changes at most of the top clubs – in came Jose Mourinho, Pep Guardiola and Antonio Conte. Surely one of them at least would struggle, and the key to the season would as ever be making the most of the players at their disposal. So who are those players that have made an immediate impression, and have any of the players from outside the top sides had a stunning start? Here we look at the most impressive performers from the…

During the first weekend of the 2016-2017 English Premier League season, there were several outstanding individual performances, but none more so than the one Phillipe Coutinho produced for Liverpool in their enthralling 4-3 win over Arsenal at the Emirates Stadium. Classy Coutinho’s superb start to the season As well as scoring twice, Coutinho was the fulcrum of Liverpool’s attack, just as he has consistently been since joining the club in January 2013. Whilst Coutinho scored with a wonderfully executed free kick, which he earned himself, in first half stoppage time…

Arsenal didn’t start the new Premier League season on a positive note. The Gunners suffered a 4-3 home defeat against Liverpool. Theo Walcott had put Arsenal 1-0 up but the Reds made it 4-1 with goals from two goals from Philippe Coutinho, and one from both Adam Lallana and Sadio Mane. The last one coming after an impressive run. Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and Callum Chambers rocketed the Gunners back in the game but to no avail. Not surprisingly, Twitter went crazy during and after the game: Show me the Mane! pic.twitter.com/9P92EFAtsA — Dinesh…

The new season of Premier League finally kicked off this weekend, but things didn’t go quite as planned for current champions Leicester City. The Foxes started their season with a 2-1 defeat at recently promoted Hull City and became the first Premier League champions to start their title defence with a defeat. The Tigers were the better team on the day and deservedly won the game in front of the home crowd. Following the game, many football fans have already started tipping the Foxes for relegation this season. The story is…

Hull enjoyed a dream return to the Premier League, as they started the new season by producing a courageous performance to surprisingly defeat reigning champions Leicester. Hull overcome adversity to secure win Despite being managerless and having only 13 senior players available, Hull defied their current problems to record an unlikely but deserved victory over an uncharacteristically lacklustre Leicester, who became the first team to begin a Premier League title defence with a defeat, since Arsenal did so in 1989, when the Gunners lost to Manchester United. In stoppage time…

The new Premier League season is finally upon us! Time to preview the 2016-17 campaign! Top two It seems the two Manchester clubs will battle for the English football crown this season. Manchester City have Pep Guardiola to coach them and made a couple of excellent signings this summer. Ilkay Gundogan could be gold in City’s midfield, while Leroy Sane adds pace and creativity, and John Stones is made to play in a Guadriola-led team due to his great feet. But can the Citizens play Guardiola football? That’s the big…

So far this summer, six English Premier League teams have paid club record transfer fee’s, with the most recent of those being the £89m Manchester United spent to sign Paul Pogba from Juventus. Pogba rejoins United In doing so, Manchester United also set a new world record transfer fee. That previously stood at £85.3m, which was the fee Real Madrid paid Tottenham for Gareth Bale in 2013. Prior to acquring Pogba, United’s record transfer fee which the club paid was £59.7m to Real Madrid for Angel de Maria in August…

English Premier League clubs are accustomed at paying astronomical sums of money to sign players. That has increasingly become the case since the league’s inception in 1992, whereby the transfer fees paid by clubs have grown markedly. Specifically in the inaugural season of the Premier League, Blackburn bought Alan Shearer from Southampton for approximately £3.5m to set a new British record transfer fee. Almost exactly 24 years on, that figure now stands at £55m, which Manchester City paid Wolfsburg for Kevin De Bruyne in 2015. Subsequently De Bruyne would automatically earn…

Starting from next season, teams will be allowed to use a fourth substitute in extra-time in this season’s FA Cup from the quarter-final stage, according to the BBC. On Twitter, a bunch of football fans opposed the new rule: EFL Trophy with academy sides in it and a fourth sub for ET in latter stages of cup competitions… Destroying English football! — Lorch (@Lorch_tlg) 27 juli 2016 fourth sub allowed in fa cup ? geez what next drop back goalies — darren ferla (@dferla73) 27 juli 2016 Fourth sub in extra…

Football fans love to hate the opponent clubs. However, some clubs are more hated than others. Manchester Evening News and its sister titles recently organized a poll to find out the most hated club in the Premier League. The poll focussed on the upcoming season in the English top flight and hence included recently promoted sides Burnley, Middlesbrough and Hull City. The results of the poll have now been revealed by MEN. West London club Chelsea has topped the poll for the title of the most hated club in Premier League.…